SINGAPORE, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The Middle East crude market remained steady on Tuesday as trading for November loading cargoes ended and dealers began assessing demand for December. Strong demand this month pushed up premiums on light crude to levels last seen 10 months ago, while strong product cracks also supported prices. Japan was a key buyer this month, with many refineries returning from planned and unplanned shutdowns, while refineries in South Korea and China also stepped up buying for winter. The outlook for December is upbeat, although weak economic activity, especially in China, continues to be a worry. * TENDERS - Taiwanese refiner CPC has floated a tender to buy sour crude, that will close on Tuesday and is valid until Wednesday. * TRADES: - SK Energy Singapore sold three November Dubai partials, two to ChinaOil and one to Trafigura. ChinaOil paid $108.45 and $108.50 per barrel for the partials, while Trafigura paid $108.60 per barrel. * MARKET NEWS - Hong Kong-listed Brightoil Petroleum (Holdings) Ltd will hire about 10 crude oil traders in Singapore and the United States, Denny Tan, executive director and chief financial officer, told reporters in an earnings briefing on Tuesday. - A trio of state-run Indian oil companies has bid $5 billion for stakes in Canadian oil sands holdings owned by ConocoPhillips, two sources said, as the world's No. 4 oil importer continues to search for supplies to power its near $2 trillion economy. - Japan will see mostly milder to normal weather this winter, potentially decreasing demand for electricity and kerosene for heating, official forecaster the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday. - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated", ignoring a U.N. warning to avoid incendiary rhetoric ahead of the annual General Assembly session. - The U.S. government officially linked Iran's state oil company to the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday, a determination that enables the United States to apply new sanctions on foreign banks dealing with the National Iranian Oil Company. CRUDE Price Prev Change NOV DME Oman diff to Dubai swaps 0.77 0.68 +0.09 NOV Brent 110.59 110.40 +0.19 NOV Dubai 107.78 107.47 +0.31 NOV DME Oman 108.55 108.15 +0.40 NOV Brent/Dubai EFS 3.35 3.56 -0.21 PRODUCT CRACKS OCT fuel oil crack -5.26 -5.07 -0.19 OCT gasoil crack +19.31 +19.43 -0.12 NOV naphtha crack -7.53 -7.65 +0.12 COMPLEX REFINERY MARGINS Today 9.52 Last 5 days 8.97 Last 365 days 7.38

Source